Seat adjusting devices, or assemblies for vehicle seats, are well known in the art. For example, seat adjusting assemblies include both manual and electric motor driven designs for moving a seat within an interior of a vehicle. An adjusting assembly utilizing an electric motor may be included as a standard feature in many new vehicles. Such designs typically utilize an electric motor coupled to an adjusting assembly to vary the position of a seat. Such designs may include an electric motor associated with a worm drive-type mechanism associated with a lead screw. The lead screw is mounted to either an upper or a lower track member to facilitate movement of a seat along the track mechanism.
The worm drive mechanism outlined above including a lead screw, often includes numerous parts requiring a complex assembly procedure when installing such mechanisms in a vehicle. There is therefore a need in the art for a simplified seat adjusting assembly reducing the total number of parts and allowing for easy and cost-effective installation of such an assembly in a vehicle.
Additionally, there is a need in the art for a seat adjusting assembly including a lead screw that is securely retained by a track member of a seat track assembly. The retaining of the lead screw should be of sufficient strength to meet crash test standards, as well as allow for easy assembly of a seat adjusting assembly. Further, there is a need for a seat adjusting assembly that accommodates flex and bending of the lead screw without shearing or breaking.